Did you know that Students in England will now be graded by teachers and not exams?
The GCSE and A-level students are all set to have their grades decided by teachers after the exams were cancelled in England due to coronavirus. According to the new education policy, Grades will be determined by a combination of mock exams, coursework and essays. Schools minister Nick Gibb said the government did not think it was "fair for students to sit the exams in the normal way". However, the question really is, what do students make of the decision? Here is the presenting a few fact highlighting the reaction of the students to the introduction of the new rule within the country.
Neha a student of psychology preferred to be evaluated via exams yet trust teachers to be the perfect judge:
Neha was due to sit a psychology A-Level exam and said she was glad to finally have "clarity" about how grades will be decided. The Milton Keynes student said she felt as though she was "constantly in a state of limbo" while trying to prepare for exams she was not sure she would ever take.
She further added that we have been preparing for exams for our whole school life," "You focus on exams and now that they are gone it's quite difficult to come to grips with that." She continued "Afterwards everyone is talking on social media about what answers they got and that's something I really enjoyed," She also candidly admitted that "I've actually made friends through it before so I will miss that."
Moreover, despite this change Neha says that she has "full faith" in her teachers and believed they were "more than capable" of deciding accurate grades.
Tristen sees the change as an opportunity to earn better grades:
Tristen is a student at Comberton Village College and was due to sit his GCSEs this year. The 15-year-old said he was "happy" that his grades would be decided by his teachers rather than exam results. He further honestly stated that "It always stresses me out knowing I'm going to be in an exam hall," As a results he says "I think it's better teachers deciding than doing the exams because they know what I'm capable of." He also added that this change of gradation rule made it "more fair" for students. This is simply because he feels that "With exams you can have good days and bad days”. He also states that "I think I could potentially achieve more now as going to exam halls stressed me out and I feel I forget everything I've learned."
Benjy a student very upset that teachers and not exams will decide his grades:
A student at Shenley Brook End School named Benjy who is studying maths, history and economics at A-level says that “It was a kicker to find out he would not be sitting exams”. He further explains that "You always have that in your mind that that’s what you’re working towards". Benjy said that, despite all the changes, he felt it was "just a case of getting your head down and working to the best of your ability". However, he quite forcefully states "I'm definitely upset I'm not doing my exams but I'm trying to look for the silver lining in it." With regards to teachers grading the students he says that he definitely has the utmost confidence in their evaluation ability.
